The Way It Should Be
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: He has hope that one day, it will happen and it will be them against the world; the way it should always be.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.**

 **Written for;**

 **Can You Make It To The End; Round 4 - AlbusScorpius**

 **Slytherin Challenge - Scorpius**

 **Colours Of The Rainbow - Red, Prompt 2 - Unrequited Love**

 **Build A Fic Challenge - Scorpius Malfoy, Chance, Slytherin Common Room, Jealous, Ridiculous.**

 **Magical World Tour - AlbusScorpius**

 **100 Pairings - AlbusScorpius**

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 **The Way It Should Always Be**

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He sits alone in the Slytherin Common Room, his thoughts as green as the walls as his jealousy threatens to consume him whole. Scorpius is out on yet another date with yet another conquest. Albus wishes he could say that he didn't understand why people continued to trail after his best friend like puppies, but he does understand it.

He craves the attention from Scorpius as much as the next person, only he can't do anything about it. He has to keep up the facade of best friend, of perpetually happy teenager, of someone who absolutely isn't jealous of the hordes that Scorpius dates and shags without pause.

He waits up dutifully, ready to hear the details of the latest person, of a close shave on the way back to the Common Room post curfew, of mouths and hands and all of the things that Albus has never had.

Scorpius teases him relentlessly about his lack of experience. It's not that Albus couldn't, it's that the only person he's particularly interested in is his best friend and he's absolutely not able to separate the idea of sex as a release and sex with someone he's in love with.

He's had offers, hell, his name makes his a conquest to most even without his looks, which, now that he's aged into them, aren't anything to sniff at. Being a Potter has it's advantages, especially now, with James gone. It's just…

Albus doesn't want them. Any of them.

"Still up? I thought you'd have called it a night, you said you were tired earlier," Scorpius greets as he strolls into the Common Room, blonde hair mussed, eyes sparkling brightly.

Albus shrugs, tossing the book he was supposed to have been studying onto the table. "Guess I woke up a bit."

"Hmm, or you were waiting for me to come home like a good little wifey."

The pillow that Scorpius gets in the face is thoroughly deserved and both boys chuckle as Scorpius folds himself on the comfortable sofa beside Albus.

"You only wish you could be so lucky to marry someone as pretty as me," Albus teases back, hiding that it is him who would wish for something so impossible.

"True that," Scorpius agrees with a cheeky grin. "I'll have to settle for the dregs of the school instead, all the while I'll pine for you from afar."

He punctuates the sentence with propping his legs up into Albus' lap.

"When did I turn into a bloody footstool?"

"Ooh, we should look into that. It'd be a useful spell for when the first years are being particularly annoying."

Albus cannot help but laugh, even as he rests his arms over his friend's legs. In his lap. His heart gives a painful throb.

They fall into an easy silence, and now that he knows Scorpius is back, safe and sound and happy, (damn, he actually does sound like a wife, he'll have to work on that), Albus can feel his eyes drooping shut, his blinks taking more effort to actually open once they've closed.

"We should go to bed," Scorpius says, but his voice is sleepy too, and Albus can only give a huff of agreement before his eyes fall shut and stay that way. He's warm from the fire and warmer for the legs draped in his lap and he doesn't think he's ever been more comfortable.

Only… he doesn't stay that way.

Thrashing and moaning and shouting is what Albus wakes too and he's confused for a moment until he realises that Scorpius has also fallen asleep. Nightmares, he realises and he reaches over to soothe his friend, his hand running through the blonde strands until grey eyes blink open.

"Alright?" Albus asks, his voice rough yet gentle.

"Hmm. Sorry," Scorpius replied, slumping in on himself.

Albus shakes his head. "Don't apologise. It's not like you kicked me in the groin this time. This was a win."

Scorpius groans but amusement glints in his eyes and Albus feels a stab of self satisfaction at an aim managed.

"That was one bloody time!"

"Hmm," Albus agrees gravely. "But I still get phantom pains from it. You kick like a fucking hippogriff."

Laughing now, Scorpius scoots himself around on the sofa so that it's his head resting in Albus' lap. "I love you, you know. You're my best friend."

Albus scoffs, because it's expected. "Bloody sap."

They fall silent once more, and Albus cannot stop his hand from stroking the blonde strands once more, settling both of their nerves quite well. It's ridiculous to continue to put himself in this kind of situation, but he cannot help himself. He needs this as much as Scorpius does.

He has hope that refuses to be squashed, hope that maybe one day, when he's got his sleeping around out of his system, Scorpius will come to him and they will have a chance at something. Together, them against the world, the way it should always be.

When he's sure Scorpius is once more asleep, Albus sighs, and whispers, "I love you too."


End file.
